This weekend may be your last chance to talk about the birds and the trees.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibit entitled "Kacho-ga: Flowers and Birds in Japanese Art," will end its summer-through-fall run this Sunday.
The display of over 75 works of art ranges from paintings to sculptures and weaponry.
Kyoko Kinoshita, project assistant curator of East Asian art for the museum, said the exhibit embodies some themes that are found in much of Japanese art.
"Japanese artists have always been inspired by nature and have often depicted it in a playful spirit," she said.
Admission to the exhibit comes with general admission to the museum, which costs $8 for students, Tuesday through Saturday. On Sundays, the museum asks that visitors give a donation of any amount.
The exhibition displays pieces from as early the late eighth and 14th centuries. According to the East Asian art department, these periods established the flower and bird as traditional metaphors for political dissent, society, natural beauty and life cycles.
"As an archipelago nation with distinct geographical features, the Japanese people are sensitive to the changing aspects of nature in the four seasons," Kinoshita said. "Attention to and enjoyment of the seasons are reflected in literature and in many aspects of daily life, such as food, clothing and religion."
While a majority of the pieces are paintings in the traditional woodblock print form or are watercolors, the exhibition also contains 18 examples of Kacho-ga displayed on Japanese weapons, including katana (swords), tsuba (sword hand-guards) and a sword rack.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m (Fridays until 8:45 p.m.).
It is located at 26th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
